


tell them all, they'll love in my shadow

by vulpesvortex



Series: dadwood AU [9]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Kidfic, M/M, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-04
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-07-21 14:13:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7390441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vulpesvortex/pseuds/vulpesvortex
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Be serious," Ryan says after a beat too long. "What about Shere Khan?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	tell them all, they'll love in my shadow

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this ridiculously sappy fanart](http://foxesonstilts.tumblr.com/post/146818245252/you-wouldnt-marry-a-panther-would-you-this) on my Tumblr.

Ryan is having trouble with his next line. Geoff can tell, though he’s sure none of the audience can. Ryan is a remarkably calm and poised actor – _Theatre kid_ , he’d confided with a wink – nothing like Geoff’s acting, which is flavored more with good-natured enthusiasm than skill. 

But Bagheera (Ryan) telling Baloo (Geoff) that he can’t adopt Mowgli (Gavin) has been a little rough all the way through rehearsals. There is always a slight catch in Ryan’s throat whenever this part comes up, and it always makes Geoff feel a little bad, because Ryan is the one that had jumped through all the hoops for the adoption and Geoff’s pretty sure he’s only heard maybe half of the horrors strewn along that path.

But the kids had chosen Jungle Book, so Jungle Book is what they’re doing. (Geoff has his suspicions about why, specifically, they had wanted to include this particular scene, and when he finds the culprit he is going to have a very stern talk with someone’s mom.)

They’ve teamed up with the Dooleys to perform a heavily condensed version of the Disney movie for Family Talent Night at Gavin and Lindsay’s elementary school, which means Geoff’s sweating under the stage lights in his black bear onesie, trying not to laugh at the cat ears on Ryan’s head and wondering for the hundredth time if three years ago he ever would’ve believed he’d get this lucky in life. Lindsay is waiting in the wings ready to strike wrapped in her giant IKEA snake plush, Jeremy next to her with his tiger’s mask on, his mother standing dutifully behind him holding her paper maché elephant head. Everything is going smoothly: even this regular wrinkle will smooth itself out in another second.

“Baloo, you can’t adopt Mowgli as your son,” Ryan says fake-censoriously, waving an arm at where Gavin is sitting center stage in his little orange loincloth, swinging his legs over the edge of the stage.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll take care of him,” Geoff assures him, and as he says it he feels something slip in the scene, a little too much of his genuine affection blooming into his words, and he feels Ryan’s eyes snap to his with an intensity that really is not appropriate for a public stage.

“Birds of a feather should flock together. You wouldn’t marry a panther, now would you?” Ryan says, and his eyes haven’t left Geoff’s, and this is where Geoff defuses the situation – wink wink nudge nudge – “Come to think of it, no panther ever asked me!” – big laugh, cue next scene. Except this time, it comes out petulant, and Geoff sees Ryan go pink underneath his stage make-up.

“Be serious,” Ryan says after a beat too long. “What about Shere Khan?  
  
  
****

  
They’re elated coming off stage, herding the kids ahead of them through the wings, and Geoff feels sort of breathless and heady with tension as they giggle and bump into each other in the narrow space. He hopes that shit didn’t show on stage as obviously as he felt it did, because if anyone’s mom says anything to Ryan about eyesexing his boyfriend on an elementary school stage Geoff will be sleeping on the couch for a week –

“So you’d marry a panther, huh?” Ryan says, laughter in his voice, and it should be a joke but it’s not, and Geoff can’t help the little choking noise that jumps out of his throat. It’s still a surprise, no matter how many times they’ve gone over that line, but there’s really only one answer. Has been for a while.

“Yeah, I’d-“ He can’t take his eyes off Ryan. Their shoulders knock together - Geoff thinks they may knock over a broom but he doesn’t look back to check - and Ryan’s in his space, staring back with a kind of open hopeful wonder Geoff wants to put there everyday for the rest of his life. “I’d like that.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. Dude, yes!” He elbows Ryan, the excitement starting to spread, tingling, down to his fingers and toes.

“Yes?” Ryan’s hand squeezes his almost painfully. “I can’t believe – God, I wanna kiss you but there’s like a million kids around,” he says apologetically, with urgent longing.

It’s really just them and the Dooleys in the wings, but the audience is loud and obtrusively present, an entire hall’s worth of teachers and kids and parents, so Geoff just smiles. “Yeah, I’d marry a panther.” He tips his chin in the direction of the kids where they’re hashing over their performance animatedly with Jeremy and his mom. “And your lil’ mancubs too.”

Geoff sees Mrs. Dooley give them a soft look, catching her eye for a moment, and he blushes a little before turning back to Ryan.

Who appears to have been struck speechless with joy.

A moment later Ryan’s expression turns into shocked horror, his hand urgently pulling Geoff in closer against his side. “Wait, I don’t have a ring, I should’ve had a ring, didn’t I? Shit, sorry, it’s just, you said, and I-“

And that’s when Geoff decides he really does need to kiss Ryan right then and there. He vaguely hears the kids crow at them and both of them sort of burst into happy, exhilarated laughter halfway through the kiss, but he’s got his hand fisted in Ryan’s shirt and his other wrapped around Ryan’s hand (where, one day soon, he’ll feel a wedding ring, and God, that’s a thought), so it’s more than enough.

“You’re good like this,” he whispers into the air between their parted lips. They really do have to get back to their seats, though, so he reluctantly steps away. He holds up a paw. “Besides, I don’t think a ring’d fit on my claw.”

“Daaaaad,” Gavin yells from the doorway, “Meg’s part is starting, come on!”

  
  
****

  
  
Miss Nancy, Gavin’s old kindergarten teacher, winks at him over the heads of the audience in front of him.

Ryan frowns. “I feel like everyone’s staring at me.”

“That’s ‘cause you’ve got make-up all over your face, babe,” Geoff says, bumping Ryan’s shoulder companionably and rubbing at his own mouth, which, now that Ryan’s paying attention to it, has a suspicious gray tint to it.

Uh-oh.

Geoff claps him on the back, grinning like the asshole he is. “Better suck it up. The damage’s done.”

Ryan drops his head into his hands, aggrieved. “Parent-teacher night is going to be a nightmare for the rest of our natural lives.”

“Aw, it’s only five more years ‘till Gav’s done here, you’ll be fine.”

“ _I’ll_ be fine?”

“Yeah, I mean, I clearly can’t show my face here ever again.” Geoff rubs at his mouth again. Ryan wishes he wouldn’t. It’s _distracting_.

“Nuh-uh,” he grabs Geoff’s hand, holding it against his knee, “no way, you agreed to marry me, you’re coming to P-T for the rest of your life.”

“I’ll watch the kids?” Geoff says hopefully.

He squeezes Geoff’s knee, trying very hard to ignore the fact that they’re in a school. It’s dark, everyone’s watching the stage, whatever, it’s not that bad. “No chance. You’re stuck with me.”

Geoff’s teasing expression softens into a gorgeous, wonderful smile, and Ryan feels his heart stutter a little in his chest. “The rest of my life, huh?”

Ryan’s mouth feels dry. Geoff’s eyebrow lifts, quiet amusement at Ryan’s predicament, and on the other side of Geoff, Gavin’s watching the talent show with rapt attention and Lindsay’s whispering conspiratorially with the snake head on her shoulder, and it’s all so good, it’s _wonderful_ , and Ryan is so, so lucky.

“Yeah,” he says, planting a quick peck against Geoff’s scruffy jaw. “The rest of your life.”


End file.
